This isn’t a real estate issue, but it certainly is a Toronto issue.

The Tamil protesters are out of control, and everybody in our city has an opinion.

Perhaps this is a dodgy subject, but I’ve never been one to shy away from voicing my thoughts and opinions, and I’m certainly not going to stop now…

Before deciding to write about this issue on my blog, I asked a few colleagues what they thought.

The responses were all very similar.

Why would you make yourself vulnerable?

Why are you going to risk offending people?

What could you possibly have to gain from this?

Why not just write about a pretty house in The Annex instead?

Well, I guess I just don’t shy away from confrontation.  This is a hot issue, it’s a major Toronto issue, and it needs to be discussed.

Two weeks ago, when Tamil protesters shut down University Avenue for three days to protest outside the United States consulate, I was very surprised that police didn’t remove them.

My knowledge of human rights, civil rights, or the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms is somewhat limited, but from a completely uninformed standpoint, I would assume that several hundred people aren’t just “allowed” to stand in the middle of a city street all day and night blocking traffic.

On the third day of non-stop protesting, blocking traffic, and causing gridlock in the city, fifteen protesters were arrested and there was finally unrest in the crowd which resulted in the first reported protester injury.

When I first heard about the protests, the word “futile” came to mind.  I respect the protesters’ strong will and efforts, but at the end of the day, I’m curious to know if Barack Obama was even made aware that protesters, in Toronto, were actively picketing outside the U.S. consulate.

It just seemed to be a slight waste of time to me.

But the right to protest is an important part of our society, stemming from the old adage, “everybody’s got an opinion.”

While some protests might be futile, others have moved mountains.

Look back at the Viet Nam War and the circumstances regarding the entry and subsequent exit of the United States military.

Upon his exit from presidency, 33rd U.S. President, Dwight Eisenhower, warned 34th U.S. President, John F. Kennedy, about the the problems in Viet Nam and how they needed immediate attention, but Kennedy turned a deaf ear.

After Kennedy’s assassination (coincidence?), 36th U.S. President, Lyndon Johnson, brought the United States into the war due to huge backing from the court of public opinion, and some say his political agenda which had been present all along.

37th U.S. President, Richard Nixon, won his second term thanks to his “Come Home America” campaign in which he promised to end the war in Viet Nam and remove U.S. troops from foreign soil.

And all throughout the Viet Nam war, protests raged all over America in what was the longest, largest public demonstration in history.  It was the first war which was essentially broadcast on national television, 24/7.

Many historians have surmised that the presence of United States military in Viet Nam came to an end because of protests at home.

So then, what do we make of the Tamil Tigers’ protests in Toronto?

While I personally thought their protest at the U.S. consulate was “futile,” I wasn’t necessarily opposed to it; if the worst thing in our city is a little more traffic, then we’re all doing pretty well for ourselves.

But when the Tamils took to the Gardiner Expressway last weekend on Mother’s Day, that is when my indifference turned to disgust.

What bothered me about this “organized protest” was the inclusion of children.

Check out the lady pushing a stroller in the photo below:

Or how about the kids holding their parents hands in the photo below, as they look around aimlessly:

I don’t think these kids have any idea what is going on; they just know that something exciting is happening, and that they are a focal part of it.

I remember being five years old and watching the Santa Claus Parade on University Avenue.  Everybody was clapping, making noise, pointing and jumping around.  A band of people in uniform passed by playing music, and I guess I found that exciting…

How are a bunch of five-year-old Tamil children supposed to know the difference?

A good child will do what he or she is told.  These children don’t have a choice.

They were brought to the Gardiner Expressway to stand in front of cars by their parents.

Disgusting.

I suppose we should take a step back and analyze the root issue here: WHY are Tamils in Toronto protesting a civil war in Sri Lanka?  Where do Toronto and Canada fit in?

Well, I suppose we are supposed to intervene.

Right?

Isn’t that what this is all about?

The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

There are civil wars, genocide, famines, natural disasters, and a host of other atrocities happening all over the world right now, but nobody will do anything unless people take notice.

The anti-Viet Nam cause went into overdrive when four students were killed on the Kent State University campus during a demonstration in May of 1970.  In 1971, public support for the war plunged to 28%.  U.S. troops were slowly removed from Viet Nam beginning in 1972.

With all that is going on in our city, in our country, or in the world, it is the Tamil Tigers in Toronto and the civil war in Sri Lanka which has been awarded our attention because of the protests!

So where do you draw the line?

What is important and what isn’t, in the grand scheme of death, murder, rape, pillage, disaster, starvation, and hurt feelings?

Just as the guy seated in the last row of the platinum seats at the ACC has to wonder why he is paying 40% more than the guy seated only inches away in the first row of the golds, we have to wonder where the lines are drawn and how.

I’m rather upset about the lack of public funding for swimming pools, hockey arenas, and sports fields in our city, so should I organize a protest?

Sure, nobody is dying in my example, but at least my example takes place in Toronto and can be dealt with.

What can Toronto politicians and public figure heads do about a war in Sri Lanka that has been ongoing since 1983?

I guess the Toronto protests are part of the overall Canadian protests which are being held to force our country’s government to intervene.

If Canada intervenes, maybe the United States follows suit.

Maybe Great Britain and Australia jump on board, and before you know it, allied countries are spending the better part of a decade sorting out the political mess in Sri Lanka, and by 2016, order is restored.

Or, maybe not.

But it’s worth a shot, right?

So what if a few thousand people are late for Mother’s Day dinner.

So what if a bunch of richie-riches in their expensive cars are bemused by protesters – what does this matter when people are DYING in Sri Lanka!?!?

The protests were featured on CNN last night, so it’s safe to say that Toronto has been given some international attention.

But I think it’s safe to say that this is not the kind of attention that our city needs.

Whether you are looking at the price of real estate, the amount of tourism, or the city’s economy, the rampant protests being broadcast around the world can’t be a good thing for our city’s image.

Or, it’s a great thing!

We’re half-way to solving the world’s problems, one protesting-child in front of a 2000-pound truck at a time!

Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong.

Everybody’s got an opinion.

And mine is always dripping in sarcasm…